Mail manifest systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A pharmaceutical filling system for a high volume pharmacy is described. The system can include an outflow conveyor, and an injection conveyor to inject a package located thereon onto the outflow conveyor. The injection conveyor can be adjacent to the outflow conveyor and oriented substantially perpendicular to the outflow conveyor. The system can also include a monitoring system positioned to perform package monitoring of the outflow conveyor and to image the package on the outflow conveyor after the package has been injected onto the outflow conveyor. The monitoring system can be further configured to determine an intended destination of the package based on an identifier detected on the package in the image captured by the monitoring system. A routing device can be positioned to perform package routing of the package to an accumulation area for packages based on the determination of the intended destination of the package.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to the technical field ofautomated filling centers. In a specific example, the present disclosuremay relate to a high volume fulfillment center (e.g., a high volumepharmacy, etc.) and to systems and methods for mail manifest, which mayinclude devices for verifying and routing packaged orders for shipment.

BACKGROUND

A pharmacy may process and fill a large number of prescriptions andprescription orders. Automated systems may be used by a high volumepharmacy to process and fulfill prescriptions.

Frequently, more than one prescription drug is required to complete aprescription order. Portions of the prescription order may be fulfilledin different areas of the high-volume pharmacy. After fulfillment, thefulfilled prescriptions may be gathered into a complete prescriptionorder for shipping.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example implementation of a system for a highvolume pharmacy, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example pharmacy fulfillment devicesthat may be deployed within the system of FIG. 1, according to anexample embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example order processing device that maybe deployed within the system of FIG. 1, according to an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a mail manifest device, according to anexample embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an inflow conveyor and slide of an mailmanifest device, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an example injection conveyor andstaging conveyor of a mail manifest device, according to an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an camera system of a mail manifestdevice, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an control device of a mail manifestdevice, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an inflow subsystem of a mail manifestdevice, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an injection subsystem of a mail manifestdevice, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an verification subsystem of a mailmanifest device, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 12 is an process flow illustrating a method for mail manifest,according to an example embodiment; and

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a machine in the example form of acomputer system within which a set of processor-executable instructionsfor causing the machine to perform any one or more than onemethodologies discussed herein may be executed or stored.

In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similarand/or identical elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example systems and methods for mail manifest, for example, in apharmacy, are described. In the following description, for purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of example embodiments. It will be evident,however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that these embodiments maybe practiced without these specific details.

Generally, a prescription order is generated for a high volume pharmacy.The prescription order may include one or more than one prescriptiondrug for fulfillment. Each prescription drug in a prescription order isan order component of the prescription order. Generally, the ordercomponents are pill bottles, liquid bottles, blister packs, unit-of-usepacks, injectable package, spray bottles, tubes, ampoules, dropcounters, insulated boxes, child-resistant containers, or otherpackaging having a quantity of a prescription drug contained therein.

Upon receipt of prescription orders by the pharmacy, a prescriptionorder may be selected for fulfillment from among the receivedprescription orders. Some or all of the components of the selectedprescription order may be fulfilled manually. Alternatively, some or allof the components of the selected prescription order may be fulfilled byan automated fulfillment device at the pharmacy. Once all components ofthe selected prescription order are fulfilled, the components may all bemarried up with one another either manually, automatically, or acombination of both. The assembled order components may be packaged forshipment, along with any other materials such as instruction materials.Prior to shipment, packaged orders may be verified, sorted, andorganized through mail manifest machinery to optimize shipment.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example implementation of a system 100,according to an example embodiment. While the system 100 is generallydescribed as being deployed in a high volume pharmacy or fulfillmentcenter (e.g., a mail order pharmacy, a direct delivery pharmacy, anautomated pharmacy, multiple package delivery center, and the like), thesystem 100 and/or components thereof may otherwise be deployed (e.g., ina lower volume pharmacy). A high volume pharmacy may be a pharmacy thatis capable of filling prescriptions automatically, mechanically,manually, or a combination thereof. The system 100 may include a benefitmanager device 102, a pharmacy device 106, and a user device 108, whichmay communicate with each other directly and/or over a network 104. Thesystem 100 may also include a storage device 110.

The benefit manager device 102 is a device operated by an entity that isat least partially responsible for creation and/or management of thepharmacy or drug benefit. While such an entity operating the benefitmanager device 102 is typically a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), otherentities may operate the benefit manager device 102 either on behalf ofthemselves, the PBM, another entity, or other entities. For example, thebenefit manager device 102 may be operated by a health plan, a retailpharmacy chain, a drug wholesaler, a data analytics or other type ofsoftware-related company, or the like. In some embodiments, a PBM thatprovides the pharmacy benefit may also provide one or more than oneadditional benefits including a medical or health benefit, a dentalbenefit, a vision benefit, a wellness benefit, a radiology benefit, apet care benefit, an insurance benefit, a long term care benefit, anursing home benefit, and the like. The PBM may, in addition to its PBMoperations, operate one or more than one pharmacy. The pharmacies may beretail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, specialty pharmacies,pharmaceutical vending machines or kiosks, and the like.

Some of the operations of the PBM that operates the benefit managerdevice 102 may include the following activities and processes. A member(or a person on behalf of the member) of a pharmacy benefit planadministered by or through the PBM attempts to obtain a prescriptiondrug at a retail pharmacy location (e.g., a location of a physicalstore) from a pharmacist or a pharmacist technician. The member may alsoattempt to obtain the prescription drug through mail order drug deliveryfrom a mail order pharmacy location, which may be the high volumepharmacy system 100. In some embodiments, the member may also attempt toobtain the prescription drug directly or indirectly through the use of amachine, such as a kiosk, vending unit, mobile electronic device, or adifferent type of mechanical, electrical, electronic communicationdevice, and/or computing device. Such a machine may be filled with theprescription drug in prescription packaging, which may include multipleprescription components, by the high volume pharmacy system 100.

The member may have a copayment for the prescription drug that reflectsan amount of money that the member is responsible to pay the pharmacyfor the prescription drug. The money paid by the member to the pharmacymay come from personal funds of the member, a health savings account(HSA) of the member or the member's family, a health reimbursementarrangement (HRA) of the member or the member's family, a flexiblespending account (FSA) of the member or the member's family, or thelike. In some instances, an employer of the member may directly orindirectly fund or reimburse the member for the copayments.

The amount of the co-pay required from the member may vary withdifferent pharmacy benefit plans having different plan sponsors orclients and/or prescription drugs. The member's copayment may be based aflat copayment (e.g., $10 or other dollar amounts), co-insurance (e.g.,10% or other percents), and/or a deductible (e.g., for first $500 ofannual prescription drug expenses or other dollar amounts) for certainprescription drugs, certain types and/or classes of prescription drugs,and/or all prescription drugs. The copayment may be stored in thestorage 110 or determined by the benefit manager device 102.

In some instances, the member may not pay the copayment or may only paya portion of the copayment for the prescription drug. For example, ifthe usual and customary cost for a generic version of a prescriptiondrug is $4, and the member's flat copayment is $20 for the prescriptiondrug, the member may only be required to pay $4 to receive theprescription drug. In another example involving a worker's compensationclaim, no copayment may be due by the member for the prescription drug.

In addition, copayments may also vary based on different deliverychannels used for the prescription drug to be received by the member.For example, the copayment for receiving the prescription drug from amail order pharmacy location may be less than the copayment forreceiving the prescription drug from a retail pharmacy location.

In conjunction with receiving the copayment (if any) from the member anddispensing the prescription drug to the member, the pharmacy submits aclaim to the PBM for the prescription drug. After receiving the PBM(e.g., through the benefit manager device 102) may perform certainadjudication operations including verifying eligibility for the member,identifying and/or reviewing an applicable formulary for the member todetermine any appropriate copayment, coinsurance, and deductible for theprescription drug, and performing a drug utilization review (DUR) on themember. The PBM provides a response to the pharmacy (e.g. from thebenefit manager device 102 to the pharmacy device 106) followingperformance of at least some of the aforementioned operations.

As part of the adjudication, a plan sponsor (or the PBM on behalf of theplan sponsor) ultimately reimburses the pharmacy for filling theprescription drug when the prescription drug was successfullyadjudicated.

The aforementioned adjudication operations generally occur before thecopayment is received and the prescription drug is dispensed. However,in some instances these operations may occur simultaneously,substantially simultaneously, or in a different order. In addition, moreor less adjudication operations may be performed as at least part of theadjudication process.

The amount of reimbursement paid to the pharmacy by a plan sponsorand/or money paid by the member may be determined at least partiallybased on the type(s) of pharmacy network in which the pharmacy isincluded. Other factors may also be used to determine the amount inaddition to the type of pharmacy network. For example, if the memberpays the pharmacy for the prescription drug without using theprescription drug benefit provided by the PBM (e.g., by paying cashwithout use of the prescription drug benefit or by use of a so-calledpharmacy discount card offering other negotiated rates), the amount ofmoney paid by the member may be different than when the member uses theprescription or drug benefit. In some embodiments, the amount of moneyreceived by the pharmacy for dispensing the prescription drug and forthe prescription drug itself may be higher than when the member uses theprescription or drug benefit. Some or all of the foregoing operationsmay be performed by executing instructions stored on the benefit managerdevice 102 and/or an additional device.

Examples of the network 104 include Mobile Communications (GSM) network,a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, 3rd GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP), an Internet Protocol (IP) network, aWireless Application Protocol (WAP) network, a WiFi network, or an IEEE802.11 standards network, as well as various combinations thereof. Thenetwork 104 may include an optical network. The network 104 may be alocal area network or a global communication network, such as theInternet. In some embodiments, the network 104 may include a networkdedicated to prescription orders, e.g., a prescribing network such asthe electronic prescribing network operated by Surescripts of Arlington,Va.

Moreover, although the system shows a single network 104, multiplenetworks can be used. The multiple networks may communicate in serieswith each other to link the devices 102, 106-110 or in parallel to linkthe devices 102, 106-110.

The pharmacy device 106 may include an order processing device 114, apharmacy management device 116, and a pharmacy fulfillment device 112 incommunication with each other directly and/or over the network 104.

The order processing device 114 may receive information regardingfilling prescriptions and may direct an order component to one or morethan one of the devices of the pharmacy fulfillment device 112 at apharmacy. The pharmacy fulfillment device 112 may fulfill, dispense,aggregate, and/or pack the order components of the prescription drugs inaccordance with one or more than one of the prescription orders directedby the order processing device 114. The order processing device 114 maybe deployed in the system 100, or may otherwise be used.

In general, the order processing device 114 is a device located withinor otherwise associated with the pharmacy to enable fulfillment of aprescription and dispensing prescription drugs by the pharmacyfulfillment device 112. In some embodiments, the order processing device114 may be an external device separate from the pharmacy and communicatewith other devices located within the pharmacy.

For example, the external order processing device 114 may communicatewith an internal order processing device 114 and/or other deviceslocated within the system 100. In some embodiments, the external orderprocessing device 114 may have limited functionality (e.g., as operatedby a patient requesting fulfillment of a prescription drug), while theinternal pharmacy order processing device 114 may have greaterfunctionality (e.g., as operated by a pharmacist).

The order processing device 114 may track the prescription order as itis fulfilled by the pharmacy fulfillment device 112. The prescriptionorder may include one or more than one prescription drugs to be filledby the pharmacy. The order processing device 114 may make pharmacyrouting decisions and/or order consolidation decisions for theparticular prescription order. The pharmacy routing decisions includewhat device(s) in the pharmacy are responsible for filling or otherwisehandling certain portions of the prescription order. The orderconsolidation decisions include whether portions of one prescriptionorder or multiple prescription orders should be shipped together for apatient or a patient family. The order processing device 114 may alsotrack and/or schedule literature or paperwork associated with eachprescription order or multiple prescription orders that are beingshipped together.

The pharmacy management device 116 may enable and/or facilitatemanagement and operations in a pharmacy. For example, the pharmacymanagement device 116 may provide functionality to enable receipt andprocessing of prescription drug claims, management of pharmacypersonnel, management of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products,track products in the pharmacy, record workplace incidents involvepersonnel and products, and the like. In some embodiments, the orderprocessing device 114 may operate in combination with the pharmacymanagement device 116.

In some embodiments, the pharmacy management device 116 may be a deviceassociated with a retail pharmacy location (e.g., an exclusive pharmacylocation, a grocery store with a retail pharmacy, or a general salesstore with a retail pharmacy) or other type of pharmacy location atwhich a member attempts to obtain a prescription. The pharmacymanagement device 116 may be utilized by the pharmacy to submit theclaim to the PBM (e.g., through the benefit management device 102) foradjudication.

In some embodiments, the pharmacy management device 116 may enableinformation exchange between the pharmacy and the PBM, for example, toallow the sharing of member information such as drug history, and thelike, that may allow the pharmacy to better service a member (e.g., byproviding more informed therapy consultation and drug interactioninformation, etc.). In some embodiments, the benefit manager 102 maytrack prescription drug fulfillment and/or other information forpatients that are not members or have not identified themselves asmembers, at the time (or in conjunction with the time) in which theyseek to have a prescription filled at a pharmacy.

The pharmacy fulfillment devices 112, the order processing device 114,and/or the pharmacy management device 116 may include circuitry, aprocessor, a memory to store data and instructions, and communicationfunctionality. These devices 112-116, in some embodiments, are dedicatedto performing processes, methods and/or instructions described herein.Other types of electronic devices specifically configured to implementwith the processes, methods and/or instructions described herein mayalso be used.

In some embodiments, at least some functionality of the order processingdevice 114 may be included in the pharmacy management device 116. Theorder processing device 114 may be in a client-server relationship withthe pharmacy management device 116, in a peer-to-peer relationship withthe pharmacy management device 116, or in a different type ofrelationship with the pharmacy management device 116. The orderprocessing device 114 and/or the pharmacy management device 116 maycommunicate directly (e.g., by utilizing a local storage) and/or throughthe network 104 (e.g., by utilizing a cloud configuration or software asa service. etc.) with the storage 110.

The user device 108 is used by a device operator. The device operatormay be a user (e.g., an employee, a contractor, a benefit member, apatient of the pharmacy, or the like) associated with the system 100.Other device operators may also operate the user device 108. In someembodiments, the user device 108 may enable the device operator toattend to pharmacy operations in a convenient manner (e.g., remote froma pharmacy). In some embodiments, the user device 108 may enable thedevice operator to receive information about pharmacy processes,prescription drug fulfillment status, and the like.

The user device 108 may be a stand-alone device that solely provides atleast some of the functionality of the methods and systems, or may be amulti-use device that has functionality outside of analysis of themethods and systems. Examples of the user device 108 include a set-topbox (STB), a receiver card, a mobile telephone, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a display device, a portable gaming unit, a computingsystem, and the like. Other devices, however, may also be used. In someembodiments, the computing system may include a mobile computing device.For example, the user device 108 may include a mobile electronic device,such an iPhone or iPad by Apple, Inc., mobile electronic devices poweredby Android by Google, Inc., and a Blackberry by Research In MotionLimited. The user device 108 may also include other computing devices,such as desktop computing devices, notebook computing devices, netbookcomputing devices, gaming devices, and the like. Other types ofelectronic devices may also be used.

The storage device 110 may include: a non-transitory storage (e.g.,memory, hard disk, CD-ROM, and the like) in communication with thebenefit manager device 102, the pharmacy device 106, and/or the userdevice 108 directly and/or over the network 104. The non-transitorystorage may store order data 118, member 120, claims data 122, drug data124, prescription data 126, and/or plan sponsor 128. Further, the system100 may include additional devices, which may communicate with eachother directly or over the network 104.

The order data 118 may be related to a prescription order. The orderdata may include the type of the prescription drug (e.g., drug name andstrength) and quantity of the prescription drug. The order data 118 mayalso include data used for completion of the prescription, such asprescription materials and/or the type and/or size of container in whichthe drug is dispended or in which is requested to be dispensed. Ingeneral, prescription materials include an electronic copy ofinformation regarding the prescription drug for inclusion with orotherwise provided (e.g., via email) in conjunction with the fulfilledprescription. The prescription materials may include electronicinformation regarding drug interaction warnings, recommended usage,possible side effects, expiration date, date of prescribing, or thelike. The order data 118 may be used by the pharmacy to fulfill apharmacy order.

In some embodiments, the order data 118 includes verificationinformation associated with fulfillment of the prescription in thepharmacy. For example, the order data 118 may include videos and/orimages taken of (i) the prescription drug prior to dispensing, duringdispensing, and/or after dispensing, (ii) the prescription container(e.g., a prescription bottle and sealing lid, prescription packaging,and the like) used to contain the prescription drug prior to dispensing,during dispensing, and/or after dispensing, (iii) the packaging and/orpackaging materials used to ship or otherwise deliver the prescriptiondrug prior to dispensing, during dispensing, and/or after dispensing,and/or (iv) the fulfillment process within the pharmacy. Other type ofverification information such as bar code data read from pallets, bins,trays, carts, and the like used to facilitate transportation ofprescriptions within the pharmacy may also be stored as order data 118.

The member data 120 includes information regarding the membersassociated with the PBM. The information stored as member data 120 mayinclude personal information, personal health information, protectedhealth information, fitness data, health data, web and mobile appactivity, and the like. Examples of the member data 120 include name,address, telephone number, e-mail address, prescription drug history,and the like. The member data 120 may include a plan sponsor identifierthat identifies the plan sponsor associated with the member and/or amember identifier that identifies the member to the plan sponsor. Themember data 120 may also include, by way of example, dispensationpreferences such as type of label, type of cap, message preferences,language preferences, or the like.

The member data 120 may be accessed by various devices in the pharmacyto obtain information utilized for fulfillment and shipping ofprescription orders. In some embodiments, an external order processingdevice 114 operated by or on behalf of a member may have access to atleast a portion of the member data 120 for review, verification, orother purposes.

In some embodiments, the member data 120 may include information forpersons who are patients of the pharmacy but are not members in apharmacy benefit plan being provided by PBM. For example, these patientsmay obtain drug directly from the pharmacy, through a private labelservice offered by the pharmacy, or otherwise. In general, the use ofthe terms member (e.g., of a prescription drug benefit plan) and patient(e.g., of a pharmacy) may be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

The claims data 122 includes information regarding pharmacy claimsadjudicated by the PBM under a drug benefit program provided by the PBMfor one, or more than one, plan sponsors. In general, the claims data122 includes an identification of the client that sponsors the drugbenefit program under which the claim is made, and/or the member thatpurchased the prescription drug giving rise to the claim, theprescription drug that was filled by the pharmacy (e.g., the nationaldrug code number), the dispensing date, generic indicator, GPI number,medication class, the cost of the prescription drug provided under thedrug benefit program, the copay/coinsurance amount, rebate information,and/or member eligibility, and the like. Additional information may beincluded.

In some embodiments, other types of claims beyond prescription drugclaims may be stored in the claims data 122. For example, medicalclaims, dental claims, wellness claims, or other type of healthcare-related claims for members may be stored as a portion of the claimsdata 122.

In some embodiments, the claims data 122 includes claims that identifythe members with whom the claims are associated. In some embodiments,the claims data 122 includes claims that have been de-identified (e.g.,associated with a unique identifier but not with a particular,identifiable member), aggregated, and/or otherwise processed.

The drug data 124 may include drug name (e.g., technical name and/orcommon name), other names by which the drug is known by, activeingredients, an image of the drug (e.g., in pill form), and the like.The drug data 124 may include information associated with a singlemedication or multiple medications.

The prescription data 126 may include information regardingprescriptions that may be issued by prescribers on behalf of patients,who may be members of the pharmacy benefit plan, for example to befilled by a pharmacy. Examples of the prescription data 126 includepatient names, medication or treatment (such as lab tests), dosinginformation, and the like. The prescriptions may be electronicprescriptions, paper prescriptions that have been scanned, or otherwise.In some embodiments, the dosing information reflects a frequency of use(e.g., once a day, twice a day, before each meal, etc.) and a durationof use (e.g., a few days, a week, a few weeks, a month, etc.).

In some embodiments, the order data 118 may be linked to associatedmember data 120, claims data 122, drug data 124, and/or prescriptiondata 126.

The plan sponsor data 128 includes information regarding the plansponsors of the PBM. Examples of the plan sponsor data 128 includecompany name, company address, contact name, contact telephone number,contact e-mail address, and the like.

FIG. 2 illustrates the pharmacy fulfillment device 112, according to anexample embodiment. The pharmacy fulfillment device 112 may be used toprocess and fulfill prescriptions and prescription orders. Afterfulfillment, the fulfilled prescriptions are packed for shipping.

The pharmacy fulfillment device 112 may include devices in communicationwith the benefit manager device 102, the order processing device 114,and/or the non-transitory storage 110, directly or over the network 104.Specifically, the pharmacy fulfillment device 112 may include palletsizing and pucking device(s) 206; loading device(s) 208; inspectdevice(s) 210, unit of use device(s) 212, automated dispensing device(s)214, manual fulfillment device(s) 214, review device(s) 218, imagingdevice(s) 220, cap device(s) 222, accumulation device(s) 224, literaturedevice(s) 228, packing device(s) 226, unit of use packing device(s) 230,and mail manifest device(s) 232. Further, the pharmacy fulfillmentdevice 112 may include additional devices, which may communicate witheach other directly or over the network.

In some embodiments, operations performed by one or more of thesedevices 206-232 may be performed sequentially, or in parallel with theoperations of other devices as may be coordinated by the orderprocessing device 114. In some embodiments, the order processing device114 tracks a prescription with the pharmacy based on operationsperformed by one or more than one of the devices 206-232.

In some embodiments, the pharmacy fulfillment device 112 may transportprescription drug containers, for example, between more than one of thedevices 206-232 in the high volume fulfillment center, by use ofpallets. The pallet sizing and pucking device 206 may configure pucks ina pallet. A pallet may be a transport structure for a number ofprescription containers, and may include a number of cavities. A puckmay be placed in one or more than one the cavities in a pallet by thepallet sizing and pucking device 206. The puck may include a receptaclesized and shaped to receive a prescription container. Such containersmay be supported by the pucks during carriage in the pallet. Differentpucks may have differently sized and shaped receptacles to accommodatecontainers of differing sizes, as may be appropriate for differentprescriptions.

The arrangement of pucks in a pallet may be determined by the orderprocessing device 114 based on prescriptions that the order processingdevice 114 decides to launch. The arrangement logic may be implementeddirectly in the pallet sizing and pucking device 206. Once aprescription is set to be launched, a puck suitable for the appropriatesize of container for that prescription may be positioned in a pallet bya robotic arm or pickers. The pallet sizing and pucking device 206 maylaunch a pallet once pucks have been configured in the pallet.

The loading device 208 may load prescription containers into the puckson a pallet by a robotic arm, a pick and place mechanism, or the like.In one embodiment, the loading device 208 has robotic arms or pickers tograsp a prescription container and move it to and from a pallet or apuck. The loading device 208 may also print a label that is appropriatefor a container that is to be loaded onto the pallet, and apply thelabel to the container. The pallet may be located on a conveyor assemblyduring these operations, (e.g., at the high volume fulfillment center,or the like).

The inspect device 210 may verify that containers in a pallet arecorrectly labeled and in the correct spot on the pallet. The inspectdevice 210 may scan the label on one or more than one containers on thepallet. Labels of containers may be scanned or imaged in full or in partby the inspect device 210. Such imaging may occur after the containerhas been lifted out of its puck by a robotic arm, picker, or the like,or may be otherwise scanned or imaged while retained in the puck. Insome embodiments, images and/or video captured by the inspect device 210may be stored in the storage device 110 as a portion of the order data118.

The unit of use device 212 may temporarily store, monitor, label and/ordispense unit of use products. In general, unit of use products areprescription drug products that may be delivered to a patient or memberwithout being repackaged at the pharmacy. These products may includepills in a container, pills in a blister pack, inhalers, liquids in aspray or other dispensing container, and the like. Prescription drugproducts dispensed by the unit of use device 212 may be packagedindividually or collectively for shipping, or may be shipped incombination with other prescription drugs dispensed by other devices(e.g., in the high volume fulfillment center).

At least some of the operations of devices 206-232 may be directed bythe order processing device 114. For example, the manual fulfillmentdevice 216, the review device 218, the automated dispensing device 214,the packing device 226, and/or another device may receive instructionsprovided by the order processing device 114.

The automated dispensing device 214 may include one or more than onedevice that dispenses prescription drugs or pharmaceuticals intoprescription containers in accordance with one or multiple prescriptionorders. In general, the automated dispensing device 214 may includemechanical and electronic components with, in some embodiments, softwareand/or logic to facilitate pharmaceutical dispensing that wouldotherwise be performed in a manual fashion by a pharmacist and/orpharmacist technician. For example, the automated dispensing device 214may include high volume fillers that fill a number of prescription drugtypes at a rapid rate and blister pack machines that dispense and packdrugs into a blister pack. Prescription drugs dispensed by the automateddispensing devices 214 may be packaged individually or collectively forshipping, or may be shipped in combination with other prescription drugsdispensed by other devices in the high volume fulfillment center.

The manual fulfillment device 216 may provide for manual fulfillment ofprescriptions. For example, the manual fulfillment device 216 mayreceive or obtain a container and enable fulfillment of the container bya pharmacist or pharmacy technician. In some embodiments, the manualfulfillment device 216 provides the filled container to another devicein the pharmacy fulfillment devices 112 to be joined with othercontainers in a prescription order for a patient or member. In general,a manual fulfillment may include operations at least partially performedby a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician. For example, a person mayretrieve a supply of the prescribed drug, may make an observation, maycount out a prescribed quantity of drugs and place them into aprescription container, or the like. Some portions of the manualfulfillment process may be automated by use of a machine. For example,counting of capsules, tablets, or pills may be at least partiallyautomated (e.g., through use of a pill counter). Prescription drugsdispensed by the manual fulfillment device 216 may be packagedindividually or collectively for shipping, or may be shipped incombination with other prescription drugs dispensed by other devices inthe high volume fulfillment center.

The review device 218 may process prescription containers to be reviewedby a pharmacist for proper pill count, exception handling, prescriptionverification, and the like. Fulfilled prescriptions may be manuallyreviewed and/or verified by a pharmacist, as may be required by state orlocal law. A pharmacist or other licensed pharmacy person who maydispense certain drugs in compliance with local and/or other laws mayoperate the review device 218 and visually inspect a prescriptioncontainer that has been filled with a prescription drug. The pharmacistmay review, verify, and/or evaluate drug quantity, drug strength, and/ordrug interaction concerns, or otherwise perform pharmacist services. Thepharmacist may also handle containers which have been flagged as anexception, such as containers with unreadable labels, containers forwhich the associated prescription order has been cancelled, containerswith defects, and the like. In an example embodiment, the manual reviewmay be performed at the manual station.

The imaging device 220 may image containers prior to filling and/orafter they have been filled with pharmaceuticals. The imaging device 220may measure a fill height of the pharmaceuticals in the container basedon the obtained image to determine if the container is filled to thecorrect height given the type of pharmaceutical and the number of pillsin the prescription. Images of the pills in the container may also beobtained to detect the size of the pills themselves and markingsthereon. The images may be transmitted to the order processing device114, and/or stored in the storage device 110 as part of the order data118.

The cap device 222 may be used to cap or otherwise seal a prescriptioncontainer. In some embodiments, the cap device 222 may secure aprescription container with a type of cap in accordance with a patientpreference (e.g., a preference regarding child resistance, a preferenceregarding built-in adherence functionality, or the like), a plan sponsorpreference, a prescriber preference, or the like. The cap device 222 mayalso etch a message into the cap, although this process may be performedby a different device in the high volume fulfillment center. Theaccumulation device 224 accumulates various containers of prescriptiondrugs in a prescription order. The accumulation device 224 mayaccumulate prescription containers from various devices or areas of thepharmacy. For example, the accumulation device 224 may accumulateprescription containers from the unit of use device 212, the automateddispensing device 214, the manual fulfillment device 216, and the reviewdevice 218, at the high volume fulfillment center. The accumulationdevice 224 may be used to group the prescription containers prior toshipment to the member or otherwise.

The literature device 228 prints, or otherwise generates, literature toinclude with prescription drug orders. The literature may be printed onmultiple sheets of substrates, such as paper, coated paper, printablepolymers, or combinations thereof. The literature printed by theliterature device 228 may include information required to accompany theprescription drugs included in a prescription order, relating toprescription drugs in the order, financial information associated withthe order (e.g., an invoice or an account statement, or the like).

In some embodiments, the literature device 228 folds or otherwiseprepares the literature for inclusion with a prescription drug order(e.g., in a shipping container). In some embodiments, the literaturedevice 228 that prints the literature may be separate from theliterature device that prepares the literature for inclusion with aprescription order.

The packing device 226 packages a prescription order in preparation forshipping the order. The packing device 226 may box, bag, or otherwisepackage the fulfilled prescription order for delivery. The packingdevice 226 may further place inserts (e.g., literature or other papers)into the packaging received from the literature device 228 or otherwise.For example, bulk prescription orders may be shipped in a box, whileother prescription orders may be shipped in a bag which may be a wrapseal bag. The packing device 226 may label the box or bag with anaddress and a recipient's name. The label may be printed and affixed tothe bag or box, be printed directly onto the bag or box, or otherwiseassociated with the bag or box. The packing device 226 may sort the boxor bag for mailing in an efficient manner (e.g., sort by deliveryaddress, sort by zip code, or the like). The packing device 226 mayinclude ice or temperature sensitive elements for prescriptions whichare to be kept within a temperature range during shipping in order toretain efficacy or otherwise. The ultimate package may then be shippedthrough postal mail, through a mail order delivery service that shipsvia ground and/or air (e.g., UPS, FEDEX, DHL, or the like), throughdelivery service, through a locker box at a shipping site (e.g., AMAZONlocker, a PO Box, or the like), or otherwise.

The unit of use packing device 230 packages a unit of use prescriptionorder in preparation for shipping the order. The unit of use packingdevice 230 may include manual scanning of containers to be bagged forshipping to verify each container in the order. In an exampleembodiment, the manual scanning may be performed at a manual station.

The mail manifest device 232 receives packaged prescription orders, suchas packaged prescription orders from packing device 142, unit of usepacking device 144, or from elsewhere in the system 100. The mailmanifest device 232 may sort and aggregate packaged prescription ordersby geographic destination, grouping orders with other orders of likedestinations. Geographically grouped orders may then be provided toshippers, such as the postal mail, a mail order delivery service thatships via group and/or air (e.g., UPS, FEDEX, or DHL), through anotherdelivery service, through a locker box at a shipping site (e.g., AMAZONlocker or a PO Box), or otherwise.

While the pharmacy fulfillment device 112 in FIG. 2 is shown to includesingle devices 206-232, multiple devices may be used. The devices206-232 may be the same type or model of device or may be differentdevice types or models. When multiple devices are present, the multipledevices may be of the same device type or models or may be a differentdevice type or model. The types of devices 206-232 shown in FIG. 2 areexample devices. In other configurations of the system 100, lesser,additional, or different types of devices may be included.

Moreover, multiple devices may share processing and/or memory resources.The devices 206-232 may be located in the same area or in differentlocations. For example, the devices 206-232 may be located in a buildingor set of adjoining buildings. The devices 206-232 may be interconnected(e.g. by conveyors), networked, and/or otherwise in contact with oneanother or integrated with one another, (e.g., at the high volumefulfillment center). In addition, the functionality of a device may besplit among a number of discrete devices and/or combined with otherdevices.

FIG. 3 illustrates the order processing device 114, according to anexample embodiment. The order processing device 114 may be used by oneor more than one operators to generate prescription orders, make routingdecisions, make prescription order consolidation decisions, trackliterature with the system 100, and/or view order status and other orderrelated information. For example, the prescription order may consist oforder components. The order processing device 114 may receiveinstructions to fulfill an order without operator intervention. An ordercomponent may include a prescription drug fulfilled by use of acontainer through the system 100. The order processing device 114 mayinclude an order verification subsystem 302, an order control subsystem304, and/or an order tracking subsystem 306. Other subsystems may alsobe included in the order processing device 114.

The order verification subsystem 302 may communicate with the benefitmanager device 102 to, verify the eligibility of the member, and reviewthe formulary to determine appropriate copayment, coinsurance, anddeductible for the prescription drug, and/or perform a DUR. Othercommunications between the order verification subsystem 302 and thebenefit manager device 102 may be performed for a variety of purposes.

The order control subsystem 304 controls various movements of thecontainers and/or pallets along with various filling functions duringtheir progression through the system 100. In some embodiments, the ordercontrol subsystem 304 may identify the prescribed drug in one or morethan one prescription orders as capable of being fulfilled by theautomated dispensing device 214. The order control subsystem 304 maydetermine which prescriptions are to be launched, and may determine thata pallet of automated-fill containers is to be launched. The ordercontrol subsystem 304 may determine that an automated-fill prescriptionof a specific pharmaceutical is to be launched, and may examine a queueof orders awaiting fulfillment for other prescription orders which willbe filled with the same pharmaceutical. The order control subsystem 304may then launch orders with similar automated-fill pharmaceutical needstogether in a pallet to the automated dispensing device 214. As thedevices 206-232 may be interconnected by a system of conveyors or othercontainer movement systems, the order control subsystem 304 may controlvarious conveyors to deliver the pallet from the loading device 208 tothe manual fulfillment device 216, for example, from the literaturedevice 228 to deliver paperwork as needed to fill the prescription.

The order tracking subsystem 306 may track a prescription order as itprogresses (or stops) toward fulfillment. The order tracking subsystem306 may track, record and/or update order history, order status, or thelike. The order tracking subsystem 306 may store data locally (e.g., ina memory, etc.) or as a portion of the order data 118 stored in thestorage 110.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an example mail manifest device232, according to an example embodiment. The mail manifest device 232enables sorting and aggregation of packaged prescription orders, such asby destination zip code or geography.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mail manifest device 232 may include an inflowsection 401, which includes one or more inflow conveyors 403. Packagedprescription orders may be brought into the mail manifest device 232from the packing device 226 and/or the unit of use packing device 230via the inflow conveyor 403. The inflow conveyor 403 may be an Intralox®conveyor in an example embodiment. Orders may be transported by theinflow conveyor 403 to a station 405. In some embodiments, the mailmanifest device 232 includes a single station 405. In some embodiments,the mail manifest device 232 includes multiple stations 405. Eachstation 405 may include a ramp or slide 407 leading down from the inflowconveyor 403 to a table 409. FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of anexample slide 407 extending from an inflow conveyor 403.

Referring back to FIG. 4, a control device 410 may be embodied as a partof the order processing device 114 in an embodiment (see FIG. 8), andmay cause one or more than one actuators 412 to direct a packaged orderfrom the inflow conveyor 403 down the slide 407 of a station 405 and tothe table 409 of the station 405 based on the capacity of each station405. For example, a level sensor 406 (best seen in FIG. 5) may detectthe volume of packaged orders already present at each station 405, andthe control device 410 may cause the one or more than one actuators 412to direct the next packaged order to the station 405 with the lowestvolume. In an example embodiment, level sensor 406 may be a reflectivebanner sensor.

Once the packaged order is positioned on the table 409 of the station405, the packaged order may be placed onto a staging conveyor 411. FIG.6 illustrates a perspective view of an example station 405 including astaging conveyor 411. An operator may place the packaged order onto thestaging conveyor 411 in an embodiment. In other embodiments, thepackaged order may be placed on the staging conveyor 411 by othermechanics, such as by a robot or the like. The packaged order mayinclude at least one identifier, which in an embodiment may be atwo-dimensional barcode or other indicia which has been printed on,laser etched on, labeled on, or otherwise affixed to or apart of thepackaging of the packaged order. In some embodiments, multipleidentifiers may be included on the packaged order. The packaged ordermay be oriented on the staging conveyor 411, and in some embodiments maybe oriented flat on the staging conveyor 411 so that at least oneidentifier is facing upwardly and is visible from overhead. The stagingconveyor 411 may be any standard conveyor. In some embodiments, thestaging conveyor is not continuous but actuates when the sensor senses apackage within its field of view.

The staging conveyor 411 may advance the packaged order onto aninjection conveyor 413 when a sensor 426 detects that the injectionconveyor 413 is empty. In general, the injection conveyor 413 may differfrom a standard conveyor in that standard conveyors are generallydesigned to be in continuous or near-continuous use. The injectionconveyor 413 may be designed for use in short, high intensity intervalswith rapid acceleration and deceleration, thereby injecting the packagedorder to another location rapidly. In an example embodiment, theinjection conveyor 413 may include a motor capable of rapid accelerationand deceleration, and/or a conveyor belt made of a material with asufficiently high coefficient of friction (such as plastic, rubber orthe like). In an embodiment, the injection conveyor 413 may inject thepackaged order into an outflow section 421 of the mail manifest device232.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an outflow section 421according to an example embodiment. The outflow section 421 may includeone or more than one outflow conveyors 423 and a center divider 425. Oneor more than one outflow conveyor 423 may be a cleated conveyor formoving a packaged order away from an injection conveyor 413. In anexample embodiment, another outflow conveyor 423 may be a scale conveyorthat may weigh the packaged order. The cleated outflow conveyor maydeliver packaged orders to the scale conveyor to be weighed. In anotherexample embodiment, another outflow conveyor 423 may be a camera orscanner conveyor on which the packaged order may be imaged and/orscanned. The scale conveyor may deliver packaged orders to the cameraconveyor. However, a single outflow conveyor 423 may be used instead ofa separate cleated conveyor, scale conveyor, and camera conveyor.

In an embodiment, two outflow conveyors 423 may be provided, with thecenter divider 425 positioned there between. The outflow conveyor 423may be, for example, a cleated conveyor in an embodiment. The outflowsection 421 may be positioned below the inflow section 401 as shown inFIG. 4, however other orientations and positioning may be used in someembodiments.

In operation, when an open slot is detected on the outflow conveyor 423(such as via the sensor 426), the injection conveyor 413 accelerates toinject the packaged order into the open slot on the outflow conveyor423. In an example embodiment, the injection conveyor 413 may beoriented approximately perpendicular to the outflow conveyor 423,thereby injecting packaged orders at approximately ninety degrees ontothe outflow conveyor 423. Due to the relatively high rate of speed atwhich the packaged order is injected onto the outflow conveyor 423, forexample, the center divider 425 may act as a backstop to prevent thepackaged order from overshooting the outflow conveyor 423. The centerdivider 425 arranged between the two sides of the outflow conveyors 423removes spaces between the outflow conveyors 423 and further increasesthe volume of packaged orders to be injected and the injecting speed.The injection conveyor 413 and the center divider 425 allow for reliableinjection of packaged orders at ninety degree or near-ninety degreeangles onto the outflow conveyor 423, without the orientation and/orpositioning of the package becoming unsuitable for later scanning andtracking.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the outflow conveyor 423 may transport theinjected packaged order to a camera system 431 in an example embodiment.The camera system 431 may include one or more than one cameras 433,which may be, for example, a Cognex camera model DMR-503X. In someembodiments, the camera 433 is capable of at least 120 decodes persecond and at least 150 frames per second of the packaged order at aresolution of at least 2048×1088 pixels. In an example embodiment, atleast twelve images of a passing packaged order may be captured by theat least one camera 433. As such, the one or more than one camera usedherein provide the ability to scan/read massive packaged orders within avery short time. Using the captured images of the packaged order, thecontrol device 410 may confirm the identity of the packaged order viathe at least one identifier. Additionally, the camera system 431 mayinclude a scale 435 for weighing each packaged order. A single scale 435or multiple scales 435 may be included in the mail manifest device 232.

FIG. 8 illustrates the control device 410, according to an exampleembodiment. The control device 410 may be deployed in the mail manifestdevice 232 as reflected in FIG. 4, or may otherwise be deployed. In someembodiments, the control device 410 directs operations being performedby elements of the mail manifest device 232 as shown in FIGS. 4-7.

The control device 410 may include an inflow subsystem 810, an injectionsubsystem 820, and a verification subsystem 830. Each subsystem mayinclude circuitry (e.g., processors), logic, and memory, to executeinstructions on sensed data. The control device 410 may be responsiblefor directing packaged orders to selected stations 405, and routingpackaged orders after being verified via imaging and weighing by thecamera system 431. For example, the control device 410 may becommunicatively coupled to various sensors (collectively numbered 426herein), the actuators 412, the injection conveyor 413, the camerasystem 431, and the like.

The inflow subsystem 810 may enable the control device 410 to directincoming packaged orders to stations 405 based on the volume of packagedorders already being handled by each station 405. The injectionsubsystem 820 may monitor the sensors 426 within the outflow section 421to determine when an opening exists on the outflow conveyor 423. Theinjection subsystem 820 may further control the staging conveyor 411 andthe injection conveyor 413 to inject a packaged order onto the outflowconveyor 423 at the detected opening. The verification subsystem 830 maycommunicate with the camera system 431 to image and weigh the packagedorder coming off of the outflow conveyor 423. For example, theverification subsystem 830 may further communicate with the storagedevice 110 to verify the imaged and weight information obtained from thecamera system 431, and may thereafter route each packaged order foraccumulation by destination locations.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example inflow subsystem 810 that may be deployedin the control device 410, or may be otherwise deployed in anothersystem. One or more than one modules are communicatively coupled andincluded in the inflow subsystem 810 to enable the inflow subsystem 810to control flow of incoming packaged orders. The modules of the inflowsubsystem 810 that may be included are a station volume module 910 andan actuator routing module 920. Other modules may also be included. Eachmodule may include circuitry (e.g., processors), logic, and memory, toexecute instructions on sensed data or calculated data.

In some embodiments, the modules of the inflow subsystem 810 may bedistributed so that some of the modules are deployed in other deviceswithin the pharmacy. In one embodiment, the modules are deployed inmemory and executed by a processor coupled to the memory. Thefunctionality contained within the modules 910, 920 may be combined intoa lesser number of modules, further divided among a greater number ofmodules, or redistributed among existing modules. Other configurationsincluding the functionality of the modules 910,920 may be used.

The station volume module 910 may communicate with one or more than oneof the sensors 426, which may be level sensors that detect the currentvolume at each station 405 in an example embodiment. In someembodiments, the station volume module 910 may determine the volume ofpackaged orders at each station 405 merely by tracking the number ofpackaged orders already routed to each station 405 as compared to thenumber of packaged orders leaving each station 405. For example, thestation volume module 910 may determine which station 405 has the lowestvolume. In some embodiments, other criterion may be used to select astation 405 to which a packaged order is to be directed. The actuatorrouting module 920 may then cause the actuators 412 to direct thepackaged order on the inflow conveyor 403 to the selected station 405.For example, the actuators 412 may be pneumatic, electric, or otherwisein operation, and may be selectively moveable to selectively channel thepackaged order to the selected station 405.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example injection subsystem 820 that may bedeployed in the control device 410, or may be otherwise deployed inanother system. One or more than one modules are communicatively coupledand included in the injection subsystem 820. Each module may includecircuitry (e.g., processors), logic, and memory, to execute instructionson sensed data or calculated data. The modules of the injectionsubsystem 820 that may be included are an order presence module 1010, aslot determination module 1020, and a conveyor injection module 1030.Other modules may also be included.

In some embodiments, the modules of the injection subsystem 820 may bedistributed so that some of the modules are deployed in other deviceswithin the pharmacy. In one embodiment, the modules are deployed inmemory and executed by a processor coupled to the memory. Thefunctionality contained within the modules 1010-1030 may be combinedinto a lesser number of modules, further divided among a greater numberof modules, or redistributed among existing modules. Otherconfigurations including the functionality of the modules 1010-1030 maybe used.

The order presence module 1010 may be in communication with one or morethan one of the sensors 426 to monitor for the presence of a packagedorder on the injection conveyor 413. When there is no packaged order onthe injection conveyor 413, the order presence module 1010 may cause thestaging conveyor 411 to engage, thereby advancing the packaged orderfrom the staging conveyor 411 to the injection conveyor 413. The stagingconveyor 411 may remain in motion until a packaged order is detected onthe injection conveyor 413, or may remain still until a packaged orderis placed thereon and the injection conveyor 413 is determined to beempty. The slot determination module 1020 may be in communication withthe one or more than one sensors 426 for determining whether an emptyslot exists on the outflow conveyor 423. Upon determining that an emptyslot exists on the outflow conveyor 423, the conveyor injection module1030 may control the injection conveyor 413 to accelerate rapidly,thereby injecting the packaged order onto the outflow conveyor 423 intothe open slot thereon. For example, the injection conveyor 413 mayoperable to accelerate from still to approximately 10.4 inch per secondin approximately 1 second.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example verification subsystem 830 that may bedeployed in the control device 410, or may be otherwise deployed inanother system. One or more than one modules are communicatively coupledand included in the verification subsystem 830. Each module may includecircuitry (e.g., processors), logic, and memory, to execute instructionson sensed data or calculated data. The modules of the verificationsubsystem 830 that may be included are a camera module 1110, a weightmodule 1120, a communication module 1130, and/or a routing module 1140.Other modules may also be included.

In some embodiments, the modules of the verification subsystem 830 maybe distributed so that some of the modules are deployed in other deviceswithin the pharmacy. In one embodiment, the modules are deployed inmemory and executed by a processor coupled to the memory. Thefunctionality contained within the modules 1110-1140 may be combinedinto a lesser number of modules, further divided among a greater numberof modules, or redistributed among existing modules. Otherconfigurations including the functionality of the modules 1110-1140 maybe used.

The camera module 1110 may be in communication with the one or more thanone cameras 433 of the camera system 431. The camera module 1110 maycause the cameras 433 to image a packaged order as it passes by thecamera system 431. In an example embodiment, the camera module 1110 maycause the one or more cameras 433 to image a passing packaged order at arate of 150 frames/second and 120 decodes/second. The weight module 1120may communicate with the scale 435 of the camera system 431 to determinethe weight of a passing packaged order. In some embodiments, thepackaged order may pause as it is weighed, although in other embodimentsthe packaged order may be weighed by the scale 435 while still inmotion. The communication module 1130 may be in communication with, forexample, the storage device 110, the camera module 1110, and the weightmodule 1120. Thereby, the communication module 1130 may receive theweight of the passing packaged order and at least one image of thepackaged order, and may communicate with the storage device 110 toaccess order data 118, member data 120, claims data 122, drug data 124,prescription data 126, as desired for confirming the identity of thepackaged order.

In an example embodiment, if the packaged order is identified by theimage identifier thereon as containing one or more than one prescriptionorders that should be a certain weight, and if the weight from the scale435 sufficiently differs from the expected weight (e.g., beyond apredetermined threshold), the routing module 1140 may cause the packagedorder to be routed for further verification. However, when the weight ofthe packaged order is within tolerances of the expected weight, therouting module 1140 may control a routing device to route the packagedorder to an accumulation area with other packaged orders to be shipped(e.g., to the same general geographic area). In an example embodiment, arouting device may have similar functionality to the inflow section 401,in which the routing module 1140 may control one or more than oneactuators to direct the packaged order from a conveyor to theaccumulation area. In an another embodiment, packaged orders may besorted in a pharmacy rather than being routed to an accumulation area.

In some embodiments, the use of smaller weight tolerances may result inmore false positives. For example, a tighter tolerance range could beused to monitor for a missing dose of a pharmaceutical, but would likelyresult in more false positives due to normal variances in weights ofvarious objects in the order. In some embodiments, the tolerance may beless than the weight of a single prescription order, so as to monitorfor a missing bottle of pills.

FIG. 12 illustrates a method 1200 for sorting packaged orders forshipment, according to an example embodiment. The method 1200 may beperformed by the mail manifest device 232 (e.g., as instructed by thecontrol device 410), or may be otherwise performed.

At block 1205, a new packaged order comes into the mail manifest device232 via the inflow conveyor 403. At block 1210, a determination is madeas to which station 405 has the lowest volume. At block 1215, thepackaged order is routed to the selection station 405 by the actuators412.

At decision point 1220, a determination is made as to whether a packagedorder has been placed on the staging conveyor 411. When no packagedorder is detected on the staging conveyor 411, the method 1200 waits atblock 1225 until a packaged order is detected thereon. Once a packagedorder is detected on the staging conveyor, at decision point 1230, adetermination is made regarding whether a packaged order is alreadypresent on the associated injection conveyor 413. When a packaged orderis detected on the injection conveyor 413, the method 1200 waits atblock 1235 until a packaged order is no longer detected thereon. Once apackaged order is no longer detected on the injection conveyor 413, atblock 1240 the staging conveyor 411 is advanced and the packaged orderthereon is moved onto the injection conveyor 413. At decision point1245, a determination is made as to whether an open slot exists on theoutflow conveyor 423. When an open slot is not detected on the outflowconveyor 423, the method 1200 waits at block 1250 until an open slot isdetected thereon. Once an open slot is detected on the outflow conveyor423, at block 1255 the injection conveyor 413 is activated to inject thepackaged order thereon onto the outflow conveyor 423 in the detectedopen slot.

At block 1260, the packaged order is weighed by the scale 435, and isimaged by at least one of the one or more than one cameras 433. At block1265, a determination is made as to the identity an expected contents ofthe packaged order based on the imaged identifier thereon. At decisionpoint 1270, a determination is made as to whether the weight of thepackaged order is within an expected range based on information aboutthe intended contents of the packaged order. In an example embodiment,the expected weight range of the packaged order may include the weightof intended pharmaceuticals, packaging materials, instructionalmaterials, and the like. If the weight of the packaged order is outsideof the expected weight range, at block 1275 the packaged order is routedfor further verification within the pharmacy. If the weight of thepackaged order is within the expected weight range, at block 1280 thepackaged order is routed to an accumulation area for packages (e.g.,with similar geographic destinations). Other criterion for accumulatingpackaged orders may also be used in other embodiments.

The mail manifest device 232 as described above may be deployed in thesystem 100 or otherwise deployed. Other types of and/or variations ofthe mail manifest device 232 may also be deployed.

FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of a mail manifest in the example form ofa computer system 1300 within which a set of instructions may beexecuted causing the machine to perform any one or more than onemethods, processes, operations, or methodologies discussed herein. Thedevices 206-232, for example, may include the functionality of the oneor more than one computer systems 1300. These devices and systems arededicated to performing any one or more than one methods, processes,operations, or methodologies discussed herein.

In an example embodiment, the machine operates as a standalone device ormay be connected (e.g., networked, etc.) to other machines. In anetworked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of aserver or a client machine in server-client network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The example computer system 1300 includes a processor 1302 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both,etc.), a main memory 1304 and a static memory 1306, which communicatewith each other via a bus 1308. The computer system 1300 furtherincludes a video display unit 1410 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD)or a cathode ray tube (CRT), etc.). The computer system 1300 alsoincludes an alphanumeric input device 1412 (e.g., a keyboard, etc.), acursor control device 1314 (e.g., a mouse, etc.), a drive unit 1316, asignal generation device 1318 (e.g., a speaker, etc.) and a networkinterface device 1320.

The drive unit 1316 includes a computer readable medium 1322 on which isstored one or more than one sets of instructions (e.g., software 1324,etc.) embodying any one or more than one methodologies or functionsdescribed herein. The instructions 1324 may also reside, completely orat least partially, within the main memory 1304 and/or within theprocessor 1302 during execution thereof by the computer system 1300, themain memory 1304 and the processor 1302 also constituting non-transitorycomputer readable media. When loaded with the instructions 1324, theprocessor 1302 is a machine dedicated to only the present processes andmethodologies.

The instructions 1324 may further be transmitted or received over anetwork 1326 via the network interface device 1320.

While the computer-readable medium 1322 is shown in an exampleembodiment to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium”should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers, etc.) that store the one or more than one sets of instructions.The term “computer-readable medium” shall also be taken to include anymedium that is capable of storing or encoding a set of instructions forexecution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any oneor more than one methodologies of the present invention. The term“Computer-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, butnot be limited to, solid-state memories, and optical media, and magneticmedia. In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium is anon-transitory computer-readable medium. In other examples, acomputer-readable medium is any medium that satisfies statutoryrequirements and stores instructions for use by a machine.

The term “based on” or using, as used herein, reflects an open-endedterm that can reflect others elements beyond those explicitly recited.

Certain systems, apparatus, applications or processes are describedherein as including a number of modules. A module may be a unit ofdistinct functionality that may be presented in software, hardware, orcombinations thereof. When the functionality of a module is performed inany part through software, the module includes a computer-readablemedium. The modules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled.

The embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide for aplurality of circuits or other electrical devices, which can be used inunits, modules, systems, and sub-systems and the like. All references tosuch and the functionality provided by each are not intended to belimited to encompassing only what is illustrated and described herein.While particular labels may be assigned to the various circuits or otherelectrical devices disclosed, such labels are not intended to limit thescope of operation for the circuits and the other electrical devices.Such circuits and other electrical devices may be combined with eachother and/or separated in any manner based on the particular type ofelectrical/operational implementation that is desired. It is recognizedthat any circuit or other electrical device disclosed herein may includeany number of microprocessors, discrete circuit components, integratedcircuits, memory devices (e.g., FLASH, random access memory (RAM), readonly memory (ROM), electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), or othersuitable variants thereof, etc.) and instructions (e.g., software, etc.)which co-act with one another to perform operation(s) disclosed herein.In addition, any one or more than one electric devices may be configuredto execute a computer-program that is embodied in a computer readablemedium that is programmed to perform any number of the functions andfeatures as disclosed. The computer readable medium may benon-transitory or in any form readable by a machine or electricalcomponent.

The inventive subject matter may be represented in a variety ofdifferent embodiments of which there are many possible permutations.

The present disclosure makes reference to a robot and words of similarimport. A robot can be a machine capable of carrying out a complexseries of actions automatically. These complex series of actions mayinclude picking up, orientating, positioning and/or releasing aprescription component, a pill, a container or other structure. Therobot may be dedicated to a single series of movements or may be able toexecute multiple series of movements. A robot may include a processorthat received instructions and then executes instructions to control itsmovement. In another example, a robot may resemble a human being andreplicate certain human movements and functions, may move location, havean articulated arm, have grasping structures that replicate fingers anddo not damage containers, and the like.

In an example embodiment, a system can include an outflow conveyor, andan injection conveyor to inject a package located thereon onto theoutflow conveyor. The injection conveyor can be adjacent to the outflowconveyor and oriented substantially perpendicular to the outflowconveyor. The system can also include a monitoring system positioned toperform package monitoring of the outflow conveyor and to image thepackage on the outflow conveyor after the package has been injected ontothe outflow conveyor. The monitoring system can be further configured todetermine an intended destination of the package based on an identifierdetected on the package in the image captured by the monitoring system.A routing device can be positioned to perform package routing of thepackage to an accumulation area for packages based on the determinationof the intended destination of the package.

In an example embodiment, a method can include engaging an injectionconveyor to inject a package located thereon onto an outflow conveyor.The injection conveyor can be oriented substantially perpendicular tothe outflow conveyor. An image of the package on the outflow conveyormay be captured, and an identifier on the package may be detected fromthe image. An intended destination for the package may be determinedbased on the identifier, and the package may be routed to anaccumulation area for packages intended for the intended destination.

Thus, methods and systems for a mail manifest have been described.Although embodiments of the present invention have been described withreference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident thatvarious modifications and changes may be made to these embodimentswithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the embodimentsof the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

The methods described herein do not have to be executed in the orderdescribed, or in any particular order. Moreover, various activitiesdescribed with respect to the methods identified herein can be executedin serial or parallel fashion. Although “End” blocks may be shown in theflowcharts, the methods may be performed continuously.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that variousfeatures are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodimentsrequire more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may lie inless than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in noway intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Thebroad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety offorms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples,the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, thespecification, and the following claims. It should be understood thatone or more than one steps within a method may be executed in differentorder (or concurrently) without altering the principles of the presentdisclosure. Further, although each of the embodiments is described aboveas having certain features, any one or more than one of those featuresdescribed with respect to any embodiment of the disclosure can beimplemented in and/or combined with features of any of the otherembodiments, even if that combination is not explicitly described. Inother words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, andpermutations of one or more than one embodiments with one another remainwithin the scope of this disclosure.

Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example,between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) aredescribed using various terms, including “connected,” “engaged,”“coupled,” “adjacent,” “next to,” “on top of,” “above,” “below,” and“disposed.” Unless explicitly described as being “direct,” when arelationship between first and second elements is described in the abovedisclosure, that relationship can be a direct relationship where noother intervening elements are present between the first and secondelements, but can also be an indirect relationship where one or morethan one intervening elements are present (either spatially orfunctionally) between the first and second elements. As used herein, thephrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical(A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not beconstrued to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at leastone of C.”

In this application, including the definitions below, the term ‘module’or the term ‘controller’ may be replaced with the term ‘circuit.’ Theterm ‘module’ may refer to, be part of, or include: an ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixedanalog/digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixedanalog/digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; afield programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared,dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared,dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuit;other suitable hardware components that provide the describedfunctionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as ina system-on-chip.

The module may include one or more than one interface circuits. In someexamples, the interface circuits may include wired or wirelessinterfaces that are connected to a local area network (LAN), theInternet, a wide area network (WAN), or combinations thereof. Thefunctionality of any given module of the present disclosure may bedistributed among multiple modules that are connected via interfacecircuits. For example, multiple modules may allow load balancing. In afurther example, a server (also known as remote, or cloud) module mayaccomplish some functionality on behalf of a client module.

The term code, as used above, may include software, firmware, and/ormicrocode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, datastructures, and/or objects. The term shared processor circuitencompasses a single processor circuit that executes some or all codefrom multiple modules. The term group processor circuit encompasses aprocessor circuitry that, in combination with additional processorcircuits, executes some or all code from one or more than one modules.References to multiple processor circuits encompass multiple processorcircuits on discrete dies, multiple processor circuits on a single die,multiple cores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of asingle processor circuit, or a combination of the above. The term sharedmemory circuit encompasses a single memory circuit that stores some orall code from multiple modules. The term group memory circuitencompasses a memory circuit that, in combination with additionalmemories, stores some or all code from one or more than one modules.

The term memory circuit is a subset of the term computer-readablemedium. The term computer-readable medium, as used herein, does notencompass transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagatingthrough a medium (such as on a carrier wave); the term computer-readablemedium may therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory.Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory, tangible computer-readablemedium are nonvolatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit,an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-onlymemory circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static randomaccess memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit),magnetic storage media (such as an analog or digital magnetic tape or ahard disk drive), and optical storage media (such as a CD, a DVD, or aBlu-ray Disc).

The apparatuses and methods described in this application may bepartially or fully implemented by a special purpose computer created byconfiguring a general purpose computer to execute one or more than oneparticular functions embodied in computer programs. The functionalblocks and flowchart elements described above serve as softwarespecifications, which can be translated into the computer programs bythe routine work of a skilled technician or programmer.

The computer programs include processor-executable instructions that arestored on at least one non-transitory, tangible computer-readablemedium. The computer programs may also include or rely on stored data.The computer programs may encompass a basic input/output system (BIOS)that interacts with hardware of the special purpose computer, devicedrivers that interact with particular devices of the special purposecomputer, one or more than one operating systems, user applications,background services, background applications, etc.

The computer programs may include: (i) descriptive text to be parsed,such as HTML (hypertext markup language) or XML (extensible markuplanguage), (ii) assembly code, (iii) object code generated from sourcecode by a compiler, (iv) source code for execution by an interpreter,(v) source code for compilation and execution by a just-in-timecompiler, etc. As examples only, source code may be written using syntaxfrom languages including C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Swift, Haskell, Go,SQL, R, Lisp, Java®, Fortran, Perl, Pascal, Curl, OCaml, Javascript®,HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language 5th revision), Ada, ASP (Active ServerPages), PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor), Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk,Erlang, Ruby, Flash®, Visual Basic®, Lua, MATLAB, SIMULINK, and Python®.

None of the elements recited in the claims are intended to be ameans-plus-function element within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f)unless an element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for,” orin the case of a method claim using the phrases “operation for” or “stepfor.”

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: an outflow conveyor; astaging conveyor; an injection conveyor to inject a package locatedthereon into an open slot on the outflow conveyor by accelerating thepackage from a still position, the package advanced onto the injectionconveyor from the staging conveyor, the injection conveyor beingadjacent to the outflow conveyor and oriented substantiallyperpendicular to the outflow conveyor; a monitoring system positioned toperform package monitoring of the outflow conveyor and to image thepackage on the outflow conveyor after the package has been injected ontothe outflow conveyor, the monitoring system being further configured todetermine an intended destination of the package based on an identifierdetected on the package in the image captured by the monitoring system;and a routing device positioned to perform package routing of thepackage to an accumulation area for packages based on the determinationof the intended destination of the package.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the outflow conveyor includes a backstop positioned opposite theinjection conveyor as a package injection barrier.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising: an inflow conveyor; a station positionedadjacent the staging conveyor; and an actuator associated with theinflow conveyor, the actuator being positioned for routing of thepackage to the station for placement onto the staging conveyor.
 4. Thesystem of claim 3, further comprising: a second station positionedadjacent a second staging conveyor; and a control device incommunication with a level sensor positioned to monitor a volume ofadditional packages at each station, the control device controlling theactuator to route the package to the station with the lowest volume ofpackages.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring systemincludes a camera having a resolution of at least 2048×1088 pixels andconfigured to capture at least 150 frames per second.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the monitoring system includes a scale to weigh anadditional package, the monitoring system further configured to: verifya weight of the additional package is within a predetermined amount froman expected weight of the additional package, and flag the additionalpackage as an exception when the weight of the additional package is notwithin the predetermined amount from the expected weight of theadditional package.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the monitoringsystem is further configured to: access data regarding expectedpharmaceutical contents and additional materials within the package froma database based on the identifier on the package imaged by themonitoring system; and determine the expected weight of the expectedpharmaceutical contents and the additional materials within the packageand the package itself.
 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising: asensor in communication with the injection conveyor and positioned formonitoring of the outflow conveyor, the injection conveyor injecting thepackage into an open slot on the outflow conveyor when the sensordetects the open slot on the outflow conveyor.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the outflow conveyor includes a scale conveyor, a cameraconveyor, a cleated conveyor, or combinations thereof.
 10. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the injection conveyor includes a belt comprised ofplastic, rubber, or combinations thereof.
 11. The system of claim 1,wherein the injection conveyor is operable to accelerate from still toapproximately 10.4 inches per second in approximately 1 second.
 12. Amethod comprising: engaging a staging conveyor to advance a packagelocated thereon onto an injection conveyor; engaging the injectionconveyor to accelerate the package on the injection conveyor from astill position to inject the package into an open slot on an outflowconveyor, the injection conveyor being oriented substantiallyperpendicular to the outflow conveyor; capturing an image of the packageon the outflow conveyor; detecting an identifier on the package from theimage; determining an intended destination for the package based on theidentifier; and routing the package to an accumulation area for packagesintended for the intended destination.
 13. The method of claim 12,further comprising: routing the package on an inflow conveyor to astation via an actuator associated with the inflow conveyor, the stationbeing positioned adjacent the staging conveyor, and the package beingmoved from the station to the staging conveyor for placement onto theinjection conveyor.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:determining a volume of additional packages a plurality of stations; androuting the package to a particular station among the plurality ofstations when the particular station has a lowest volume of packagesamong the plurality of stations.
 15. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: determining a weight of an additional package; determiningan expected weight of the additional package; verifying that the weightof the additional package is within a predetermined amount from theexpected weight of the additional package; and flagging the additionalpackage as an exception when the weight of the additional package is notwithin the predetermined amount from the expected weight of theadditional package.
 16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:detecting an opening on the outflow conveyor via a sensor, whereinengagement of the injection conveyor to inject the package onto theoutflow conveyor occurs when the opening is detected.
 17. A mailmanifest device comprising: an inflow conveyor; a station including aslide extending between the inflow conveyor and the station, the slideconfigured to transfer a package from the inflow conveyor to thestation; a staging conveyor configured to receive the package from thestation; an outflow conveyor; and an injection conveyor extendingbetween the outflow conveyor and the staging conveyor, wherein theinjection conveyor is configured to inject a package located thereoninto an open slot on the outflow conveyor by accelerating from a stillposition, wherein the package is advanced onto the injection conveyor bythe staging conveyor, and wherein the injection conveyor is orientedsubstantially perpendicular to the outflow conveyor.
 18. The mailmanifest device of claim 17, wherein the injection conveyor includes aconveyor belt made of a material having a coefficient of friction suchthat the injection conveyor may accelerate the package from still toapproximately 10.4 inches per second in approximately one second. 19.The mail manifest device of claim 17, wherein the outflow conveyorincludes a center divider positioned opposite the injection conveyor,and wherein the center divider is configured to act as a backstop toinhibit the package from overshooting the outflow conveyor when theinjection conveyor injects the package into the open slot on the outflowconveyor.
 20. The mail manifest device of claim 17, further comprising asensor positioned to monitor the outflow conveyor and in communicationwith the injection conveyor, wherein the sensor is configured to detectthe open slot on the outflow conveyor.